Finding Your Ideal Neighborhood in Minneapolis

Every other year, the Census Bureau conducts the American Housing Survey. The 2013 study found that the two most popular reasons for choosing a certain neighborhood were because the homebuyers fell in love with a house in that particular neighborhood and the neighborhood’s safety. In the 2011 study, the design of the neighborhood and the neighborhood’s proximity to work was the two most popular reasons.

What about you? Where in the world do you want to live? Okay, we can narrow that one down right away – where in Minneapolis do you want to live?

It helps both of us if you’re clear on what type of area best suits your lifestyle. This part of the process requires both soul-searching and sleuthing.

Here are a few considerations to help you make your neighborhood wish list:

Is safety of primary importance?

Are good schools or proximity to schools a priority?

Is living closer to work important to you?

Do you need a walkable neighborhood located within walking distance to shopping and other conveniences?

Do you prefer a lively family-type neighborhood or a more sedate, private environment?

What don’t you like about where you now live?

That last question is especially good when you get stuck for ideas. Sometimes knowing what you don’t want is just as important as knowing what you do want.

When you share your wish lists with the Lindahl Team, we can help you narrow down the vast array of home and neighborhood choices available in Minneapolis. Here’s how we’ll find your perfect home and neighborhood:

Housing prices: It doesn’t do you any good to look at homes that are out of your price range, so we’ll only show you homes you can afford.

Crime statistics: Legally, we aren’t allowed to speak to whether a certain area has high or low crime. I will, however, point out where you can find this information, should this be a concern.

Outdoor amenities: Here in Minneapolis we don’t suffer from a lack of parks, jogging and biking trails and lakes. If you are an outdoor enthusiast and living close to these amenities is important, let us know.

School information: Although schools are important to parents, they typically don’t top the list of what is important to them in a neighborhood. If you have school-aged children, do you need to live within walking distance to their school? Will they need to take the bus?

One Final Step

This is the point in the process where you get to use your detective skills. Although the Internet is a handy tool during the beginning of the search for a neighborhood, nothing beats driving through it to get a feel for what it's really like.

Take a drive through the neighborhood at different times during the day and night. The ideal times for these recognizance trips are after school lets out in the afternoon and on weekend days and nights.

Don’t hesitate to get out and walk and speak with any neighbors you see.

Searching for the perfect neighborhood is akin to Google Earth. If you’ve ever used the online search application you know that you can draw back from an area by zooming out and then gradually zoom in, ever closer, to get a bird’s eye or even a street view of an area you’re interested in. That’s when we jump in the car and go find you a house.

Adapted from “Homebuying Made Easy” by Kris Lindahl. All rights reserved.